New Scarborough Southwest councillor Parthi Kandavel promises 'authentic practical leadership'

Former TDSB trustee Parthi Kandavel is officially Toronto’s newest city councillor.

On Monday, City Clerk John Elvidge certified the results of the Nov. 30 byelection in Ward 20, Scarborough Southwest, and declared Kandavel as the winner.

Kandavel earned 4,641 votes, while Kevin Rupasinghe came in second with 3,854. Anna Sidiropoulos placed third with 2,275 votes.

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Speaking with CP24 on Friday, Kandavel said that he believes that his municipal election win is due to the fact that he is an independent thinker focused on “authentic practical leadership.”

“I think what really resonated was having a strong voice that’s reflective of the very diverse communities in Scarborough Southwest,” he said.

“I think people appreciated the fact that I wasn’t backed by any party machinery. I had supporters from across the spectrum and (that) reflects the true spirit of municipal governance, why party politics is not supposed to be present and the idea being we select representatives of the people, not a representative of a political party, so I think that’s what people are looking for is authentic practical leadership.”

Kandavel, a former teacher who has lived in the ward since 1988, went on to say that he believes that voters in Scarborough Southwest selected a representative who won’t make decisions based on an “ideological lens,” adding he’s a councillor who considers all perspectives, and understands and appreciates the lived realities of his constituents and all Toronto residents regardless of their race, class, or where they live.

The new Scarborough Southwest rep went on to say that he’s confident that the city’s new deal with the province will create the “fiscal framework for the investments that Toronto needs.” He said in Scarborough that includes daycare, transit, and social infrastructure like community centres, outdoor swimming pools, and libraries among other things.

A total of 16,974 ballots were cast in the Ward 20 byelection with three ballots being declined and six rejected.

The official declaration of results in the Scarborough Southwest byelection, including poll-by-poll results as well as the number of votes cast through mail-in vote, two days of advance vote and the votes cast in each voting location on Election Day, can be found on the City of Toronto’s website.